The Prey
by Jessa4865
Summary: Six months after the events of Mindhunters, George comes back for Lilly.
1. Chapter One

The Prey

By Jessa

Spoilers: Through Mind Hunters (or something like that - I'm not good with ep names).

Disclaimer: The characters are not mine; I'm just letting them have some fun. Or not so much fun.

Pairing: Lilly/Scotty (consider yourself warned)

Part One

Scotty Valens noticed the envelope lying on his partner's desk as he walked past. It was a typical card envelop and he berated himself as he sat down, wondering how he could have forgotten her birthday. He stared at the calendar before him, as if he expected it to give him some answers. It did - sort of. It was the middle of May. He was certain her birthday was in the summer. Although he couldn't pinpoint when, he was convinced that it had been terribly hot that day the previous summer when Lilly had been miserably grumpy for no reason and only explained herself at a late dinner after she'd had three glasses of wine.

He decided the card was for something else. He'd never understood why people sent cards for the myriad of reasons the card stores suggested. Birthdays, Christmas, the occasional Valentine - that was enough for him. He shook his head and turned his attention back to his work. He'd been letting the paperwork pile up again and he needed to get it finished before someone, like Lilly, caught him.

When Lilly returned to her desk, she spotted the card immediately and looked at Scotty. "Is this from you?"

He shook his head and went back to reading. Curious as to why she didn't know what it was for, he watched surreptitiously as she examined it. She held it in her hand and he knew she was studying the handwriting, trying to recognize it. She turned it over and checked the back for a return address, finding none.

"Did you see where it came from?" She looked around suspiciously and Scotty nearly laughed. He thought maybe he ought to buy her a card - she obviously wasn't used to getting them.

He smiled. "It has a stamp on it, Lil. My guess is the mail."

She looked embarrassed as she sat down in her chair, still holding the envelope in front of her. Scotty went back to reading. He wanted to tell her to open it if she wanted to see who it was from so badly, but he was fairly certain that she was enjoying the suspense. She didn't have a lot of friends, certainly none that Scotty could name who were sentimental enough to send cards. He smiled to himself as he realized he was actually seeing his tough, fearless partner delighting in such a girlish moment.

He tried to respect her privacy when he saw her finally slide her finger under the flap. He heard her slide the card out of the envelope. He saw the envelope drop down on the desk out of the corner of his eye. It seemed an impossibly long time as he waited for some kind of a reaction from her. He peeked up to find her staring intently at the inside of the card. He could see the front, displaying a bright yellow background with multicolored flowers and the cheerful sentiment 'thinking of you' stamped across the top. He dared to look up further and found her eyes moving back and forth across the words inside. An unexpected twinge of jealousy surged through him as he assumed the card was from Kite.

Lieutenant Stillman's voice interrupted his thoughts a moment later. He was summoning the team into his office; all but Lilly responded. Stillman raised his eyebrows at Scotty, questioning Lilly's inattentiveness. Scotty tapped the back of her chair as he walked past, grinning at her startled expression.

"Don't worry about Lilly, Lieutenant. She's just reading her love letter." Scotty's remark called Vera's and Jeffries' attention. They spoke in unison, both mentioning only Kite's name before starting to laugh. Scotty laughed with them as they moved into the lieutenant's office. It was only after they assembled in the boss' office that Scotty realized Lilly wasn't with them.

He leaned out of the office door. "Lil, you coming?" She nodded sheepishly and joined them after she tucked the card under some papers on her desk.

Out of sight, out of mind. Scotty forgot entirely about the card for the rest of the day. Lilly seemed to have forgotten it as well because although she was quieter than normal, she once again participated in conversations.

Most of the other detectives were gone long before Scotty even thought about leaving. He and Lilly were trading theories back and forth, talking in circles and never getting any closer to an answer. Lilly stopped in mid-sentence and Scotty noticed her eyes had dropped from his - she usually looked at him when they were discussing a case. Her gaze was clearly directed at her desk and, when he looked, Scotty saw a corner of the card jutting out from the stack of papers. He gave her a moment to collect her thoughts and start talking again, but she didn't.

He had to ask. "So, who's it from?" He wanted to suggest Kite, but he didn't. She'd said the relationship was over and he didn't want to question her truthfulness.

She looked at him; her eyes betraying the fear she felt. "Oh, it's nothing."

"So why won't you say who sent it?" He was trying to joke about it, but it burned him that she didn't trust him.

"It's from Chris, if you must know."

Scotty grinned, smelling a chance to tease her about her new boyfriend. "Chris who?"

Lilly offered a smile that didn't quite meet her eyes. "Chris Rush. Christina. My sister."

"Oh." He was disappointed. Not only couldn't he tease her, he also knew he would never get any more information about what had her so upset. If there was one thing he knew about Lilly, it was that she didn't talk about Chris. "Sorry."

"I'm going to get some coffee. Want some?"

He shook his head, wondering at the abrupt change of subject. He watched as she walked away. The moment she turned the corner, he reached across the desk and snagged the card. She'd kill him if she caught him, but he was determined to help her - even if she didn't want his help.

The inside of the card looked innocuous. The message poetic message inside repeated the words from the front, stringing together relatively meaningless rhyming lines as most greeting cards do. It was the neatly written message signed across the bottom that made his blood run cold: See you soon, George.


	2. Chapter Two

Part Two

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Lilly snatched the card out of his hand as though he'd snooped into something personal.

Rather than explaining himself, which he couldn't do, he turned it back on her. "You lied."

"You have no right to go through my stuff." She sounded like a petulant teenager as she scolded him, haphazardly tossing papers around on her desk and shoving them in her bag.

Scotty recognized her anger - and the fear it was covering. She was terrified. George was the only suspect that had ever frightened Lilly and Scotty knew it. "You have to tell Stillman."

Lilly threw her bag over her shoulder. "No, I don't." She turned and resolutely walked away.

Whether she admitted it or not, Scotty knew she couldn't handle it on her own. He grabbed his jacket and scrambled after her. He didn't want her going anywhere without him. "You're not staying by yourself, Lilly. It's not safe with him out there."

She stared at him for a moment before continuing on her way. "He's always been out there. Besides, I'm not afraid of him."

"Well, I am." He reached out for her arm, pulling her to a stop so he could meet her eyes. "You either stay with me or I'm calling Stillman."

"He's having dinner with his daughter tonight, Scotty. He hasn't seen her in ten years."

"Which is why he'll be really mad that you didn't tell him six hours ago, Lilly."

"I can't just abandon my cats."

"Well, they're not coming to my place." He was sure the cats would be fine for one night, but he wasn't so sure about Lilly.

"Then I'm not coming either." She stepped around him and kept walking.

"Fine, they can come." The last thing Scotty wanted were cats in his apartment. Scratch that, he thought, cats weren't so bad as long as Lilly was safe and sound.

"Well, I'm not coming anyway."

Scotty shook his head as he fell in step beside her, saying nothing as he dialed the lieutenant's number. Lilly grabbed the phone out of his hand and slapped it closed. "You're not really going to tell him, are you?"

"I'm not letting you out of my sight until he's in prison. I'll sleep in my car if I have to." He didn't realize his slip until he saw the glint in her eyes.

"I hope Hondas are comfortable." She didn't say another word as she walked to her car, not even to act annoyed at Scotty's overprotectiveness. She seemed to acquiesce a little - waiting in her car for him to cross the lot to his own. She didn't even try to lose him on the way as he tailed her home - he figured it didn't make any sense because he knew where she lived.

He parked his car behind hers, cursing his stupidity as he watched her go inside. She didn't even look back at him. Scotty settled back in his seat, folding his long arms across his chest. He wanted to be annoyed at her, but he couldn't be. He knew she was scared, even though she didn't let on. He knew she was probably glad he was there, even though she pretended she wasn't. He kept his eyes on her house for the next hour, smiling to himself when she glanced out of one of the second story windows. It was only a few minutes later when she emerged on the front porch in her robe. He bit back his grin when she made her way to the car, scampering across the lawn and sidewalk in her bare feet.

She rapped on the window. "Are you seriously going to sit out here all night?"

He nodded. "Me or Stillman." He held up his phone to prove to her that he was willing to do it. She narrowed her eyes and Scotty nearly told her how very non-threatening she was at that moment - the bathrobe, no makeup, her hair mussed, the silky fabric of her pink pajamas peeking through the v-neck of her robe.

"My neighbors will call the cops."

Scotty grinned and proudly displayed his badge. "Conveniently, they're already here."

"You'd better get over this by tomorrow." She stepped back from the door, but didn't move more than a few steps.

Scotty took it as an invitation and got out. "Why, hot date?"

She glared at him. "I don't like you very much right now."

He smirked. "And yet, you're letting me spend the night. What are the neighbors going to think?" Just to test his luck, he slung his arm around her shoulder. She shrugged it off, but she didn't hit him, so he decided she wasn't really that mad.

"You're not getting a shower. And you're not getting breakfast." She pushed open the door slowly and Scotty wondered if she was rethinking her decision to let him stay. "I have a guest bedroom, but you're sleeping on the couch."

Scotty looked around as Lilly closed the door behind them. Her house seemed cozy and warm - a stark contrast to his apartment. He heard a series of meows and looked down to discover two cats sniffing at his pants. His first instinct was to bat them away, but he resisted because he knew they were important to Lilly. He squatted down and let them sniff his hand. The orange tabby was missing an eye, but eagerly rubbed against Scotty's hand. The three-legged white one was more reserved, but let Scotty pat him. Scotty smiled when he stood up with the tabby in his arms.

"I think I made a friend." The cat purred happily in Scotty's arms.

"Traitor." Lilly scowled, but reached out to stroke the cat. "Good night." She turned and started up the stairs.

"Night, Lil."

"I was talking to Olivia and Tripod." She kept walking, but Scotty was fairly certain her cats' reactions to him pleased her.

"Night, Lil." He watched as she disappeared upstairs without responding. He heard her moving around and decided to try again. His mom had always taught him to never go to bed mad. He leaned over the railing and shouted in the darkness. "Good night, Lilly!"

A moment later, she appeared at the top of the steps, trying very hard to look imposing. "Go to bed."

He grinned, refusing to be intimidated. "Good night, Lilly."

He could tell she was fighting back a grin when she finally replied. "Night, Scotty."

Pleased with himself for his victory, he sat down on the couch and watched television for a while. He was too keyed up to sleep. Olivia curled up next to him immediately and Tripod eventually joined them. He'd known she had cats, but he hadn't realized they weren't regular cats. It made sense, he realized - Lilly had a thing about sticking up for the underdog, or undercat, apparently. He absentmindedly petted the cats until he yawned. Then he stretched out on the couch to sleep.

He awoke with a start. He lay still, trying to figure out what had drawn him from sleep. The cats were both on top of him - one stretched across his legs and the other on his chest. He thought maybe it was the presence of the cats, but as he went to move them, he noticed both of them staring intently at the stairs. It had been a noise, he realized, not the cats that had woken him. He sat up carefully, reaching for the gun he'd left of the coffee table. Once he had it in hand, he made his way up to the second floor, moving as stealthily as possible.

Just as his foot hit the top step, the sound came again. Something was tapping. He saw the closed door to his left that he figured was Lilly's bedroom. He didn't want to wake her if he was just being paranoid. The sound was coming from the other end of the hall. Cautiously, he moved toward it, keeping his back pressed against the wall. He reached inside the dark room and felt for the light switch, flipping it on and flooding the room with light.

It was the guest bedroom Lilly had mentioned - sparsely furnished and devoid of anywhere to hide. The sound was coming from the open window where the shade was slapping against the window sill. He lowered his gun to his side and let out a sigh. Even without a witness, he was embarrassed at his fear. He closed the window and locked it, shaking his head.

He picked up Olivia, who'd followed him. "Tough old Scotty, huh? Afraid of things that go bump in the night." He whispered into the cat's thick coat as he laughed at himself. The cat hissed at him and he let her go, watching as she sprinted away from him and back downstairs. Still creeped out at his own imagination, he left the light on as he headed for the stairs.

As he passed the darkened bathroom, he remembered seeing Lilly looking out at him when he'd been in the car. It had been that window. And it had been closed. He told himself Lilly must have opened it to let in some air, even though the little voice in the back of his head told him she was too sensible to sleep with a window open. Something caught his eye and he turned on the bathroom light.

He rushed to Lilly's room, calling her name as he threw open the door. "Lilly!"

She sat up on the bed, blinking sleepily at him. "Scotty? What?"

He was shaking as he grabbed her arm; needing to touch her to be sure she was really there, really safe. "Get dressed. You're not staying here."

"What's wrong?"

"Hurry up. I'll tell you later."

She sensed the urgency in his voice and saw the gun in his hand. It was enough to convince her and she got out of bed. He turned his back while she hastily put her clothes on, but he didn't leave the room. He didn't want to be that far away from her. Obviously, spending the night one floor below her was too far.

"Scotty, what's this about?"

"I said I'll tell you later." He put his hand on the small of her back, trying to usher her from the room. He didn't want to tell her what he'd seen. He didn't want her to see it herself.

"No, I want to know now." She planted her feet firmly and crossed her arms over her chest.

His eyes darted toward the bathroom as he tried to think of something to say. She saw the quick glance and stepped past him to look. She stared in shock for a long time, taking in the message that had been scrawled across the mirror in her lipstick: It's hunting season.


	3. Chapter Three

Part Three

Scotty could feel her shaking as he took her hand and led her down the stairs. He offered no false assurances, no words of encouragement. There was nothing to say. George had been there. He could have killed both of them. Scotty had never felt so helpless in his life. He silently cursed himself - he was there to protect her. A lot of good it had done.

Lilly went with him willingly; shock allowing her to follow him without hesitation. She paused at the front door. Scotty pulled on her hand. He didn't know what to say. He just wanted her out of there.

"Lilly, let's go." He was at the front door, one hand holding his gun at the ready, the other clamped around Lilly's wrist. He realized he was probably hurting her from the force of his hold, but he couldn't bring himself to release her.

"The cats, Scotty. I won't leave them here."

"Lilly, he's not here for them." Even as he said it, he knew George probably wouldn't draw a line at not hurting animals. True, he thought animals were stupid, but he'd know they meant something to Lilly.

"I'm not leaving them." She wrenched her arm, trying to pull it free from his grasp. Her attempt did nothing to free her, but he saw her wince in pain.

Tripod was sitting on the couch where he'd been when Scotty had left him. Olivia was cowering behind the coffee table. Scotty grabbed Tripod and handed her off to Lilly. Then he grabbed Olivia and thrust her into Lilly's arms as well, leaving him able to keep a hold on Lilly and his gun.

"I need their food and stuff. They can't be loose in the car."

"We'll stop somewhere." Lilly continued to struggle with him, nearly losing her grasp on the unhappy cats in the process. "Lilly, we have to go now!"

It was when they were in the car, when Lilly mentioned that she hadn't brought a change of clothes for work, that Scotty realized how upset she was. Someone was trying to kill her, had snuck into her house while she was sleeping to leave a threatening message on her bathroom mirror not quite ten feet away from where she was sleeping, and she was worried about her work clothes.

He peeled out of there so fast he left tire marks halfway up the street. Paranoid that George was following them, Scotty drove aimlessly for some time. The cats were perched on the back deck, meowing angrily from time to time. Lilly was silent and Scotty thought she'd fallen asleep, but when he glanced at her, he realized she was wide awake. She looked terrified. Scotty grew even angrier at himself. He'd been there to protect her, to keep her safe, and he'd done nothing. He knew full well that he could have woken up in the morning and found Lilly murdered or missing and she probably knew it too. The only reason she was still alive was because George wanted to toy with her first.

She was the first to speak, breaking the eerie silence in the car. "Are we just going to drive around all night?"

"The thought had occurred to me." The trouble was, nothing better had occurred to him.

"I'm tired, Scotty. I want to go to bed."

He looked at her and felt guilty for not being able to do more. He smiled at her. "Are you hitting on me?" His attempt to lighten the mood fell flat; she didn't even seem to have heard him.

He pulled into the parking lot of an all-night supermarket. "What do you need for them?" As much as he wanted to, driving around all night wasn't really an option. They were going to have to go somewhere eventually.

"I'll get it." She reached for the door handle, unable to control her shaking.

Scotty glanced at the deck where the cats had fallen asleep. "They'll be all right for a few minutes." It was Lilly's lack of argument that told him she hadn't really wanted to go alone.

They made quite the pair, he realized, as they crossed the short distance from the car to the door. His suit was impossibly wrinkled; her ratty sweatshirt was about three sizes too big. He stayed close to her side as she grabbed a basket and made her way through the unfamiliar store. As unused to their proximity as he was, he bumped into her quite a few times when she moved. She didn't seem to mind. The store was nearly deserted in the wee hours of the morning, except for the skeleton crew working. Scotty eyed the people he saw suspiciously, thinking each time he saw one that it might be George. He felt through his jacket for his gun unconsciously every few seconds, needing to know that it was still there.

One of the stock guys steered a pallet of boxes into the aisle. Not being the most conscientious employee, he'd stacked them too high and not very carefully. The uppermost box tumbled off the stack, slamming loudly into the ground.

Lilly jumped. Scotty grabbed for her, simultaneously shielding her and pulling his gun. The guy froze after raising his hands. There was an almost comical expression of shock and fear on his face, but neither Scotty nor Lilly noticed it. Scotty lowered his gun and the guy took off running.

"I'm ok, Scotty." Her soft, unsteady voice belied her words.

"Good for you. I think I just had a heart attack." He tucked his gun back into his holster, trying to will himself to stop shaking.

"Scotty, I said I'm fine." There was a hint of impatience in her voice, but Scotty chalked it up to stress.

"Yeah, I know."

"Let go." As she spoke, he felt her pushing against his arm and he realized for the first time that he was still holding her firmly against him.

He looked down at her; his eyes falling on hers as she looked up at him. He could feel her pressed against him. He could feel her hands braced against his chest where she was lightly trying to push him away. Despite the circumstances, he was once again taken by her beauty. Her eyes still sparkled the way they always did. Her mouth still fell slightly open the way it always did. And for just a moment, he let himself revel in the contact of their bodies. His eyes darted to her lips for only a second. He thought about kissing her. When he looked back, he noticed her eyes were a bit slower in returning to his. She'd thought about it too.

She jerked away and he released her. Lilly quickly grabbed a few more things from the shelves while Scotty stood behind her. He wanted to give her space to collect herself, to give himself space to gather his thoughts. He felt certain that he was still close enough to grab her if he needed to, so he shut his eyes for a second. He'd come too close. She was his partner, his friend. She'd accepted him from the start, valuing his input, while the others were still giving him a hard time over a year after he'd joined their ranks. He couldn't mistake her friendship for anything more and he couldn't let her see that his feelings for her ran deeper. She would never be interested in anything more than being his partner. He wasn't about to take advantage of her when she was so vulnerable. She'd never forgive him. He'd never forgive himself.

"I think I've got everything."

His eyes snapped open at her voice. He couldn't tell if she was talking because she was nervous or because she was trying to steer them back to their normal balance after that intimate moment. "Yeah, good. I don't want to know what those girls are doing in my car right now."

"Maybe I should drive."

"Nah, I'm good."

"You're asleep on your feet, Scotty."

He half smiled at her. "So are you."

She grinned. "I'll give you that. It is nearly three."

She turned then and started walking toward the registers, catching him entirely off guard when her hand snagged his. He was so dumbfounded that it was all he could do to stagger along with her. The only thing he was aware of at that moment was the amazing feeling of her fingers laced through his.


	4. Chapter Four

Part Four

The ride back to Scotty's place was quiet, except for the cats that loudly let Lilly know how they felt about having been left alone in the car. Scotty thought about going to a motel for the night, but he decided against it. His building was secure and his apartment had an alarm. It was also on the eighth floor, so he could plant himself between Lilly and the door and rest assured that she was safe.

He carried the bags from the grocery store; Lilly carried the cats. As they rode up in the elevator, Scotty stole a few glances at his partner. She was exhausted - he could see it in the slump of her shoulders and her heavy-lidded eyes. The cats were exhausted as well - they'd even stopped grumbling about the way Lilly was clutching them.

Opening the door slowly, he checked inside to make sure nothing was disturbed. Then he ushered Lilly in behind him and check the outside hallway twice to make sure no one was out there. Lilly stood awkwardly in the middle of the living room, holding the cats while Scotty fastened the locks on the door.

He smiled reassuringly, or as best he could considering the circumstances. "You can let them go, you know."

"I wasn't sure if you wanted them locked up or something."

Never having owned pets, Scotty didn't know any better. "Nah, they're fine."

Lilly released them immediately, letting them free to investigate their new surroundings. She stifled a yawn as she watched them sniffing about the room. "I'm beat, Scotty. If you have an extra blanket, I'll take the couch."

"No. I'll take the couch. You take the bed." He grinned, remembering her words from earlier that night. "And if I had a spare bedroom, you'd be welcome to it."

She smiled, not needing to voice her apology. "It's ok. I don't mind the couch. I actually sleep there a lot."

"Why?" Even as he asked the question, he realized that Lilly probably fit on a couch easier than he did and therefore probably found them much more comfortable.

"Because I can sleep anywhere, as long as my girls are there." As if understanding Lilly's words, Tripod wound herself around Lilly's legs before she returned to exploring Scotty's apartment.

"You're taking the bed anyway. I'm sure the girls would like to spread out after all they've been through tonight."

Lilly shook her head. "No, really, Scotty, the couch is fine."

"If you think there's a chance in hell I'm not staying between you and this door, you are sadly mistaken."

She smiled as she looked uncertainly down the hallway. "Afraid I'll escape?"

He rewarded her attempt to lighten mood with a broad grin. "Hey, I've got a beautiful woman sleeping in my bed. I'm not about to let you leave now."

"I think I'll take the couch after all."

He shook his head as he walked away, retrieving a blanket and pillow from his bedroom. He tossed them on the couch. Lilly watched him and he knew she wasn't sure what to do. Being as tired as he was gave him audacity that he normally would have lacked with her - he pulled her toward the bedroom by the hand. He stepped behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders and leaving down to whisper in her ear. "I'm going to tell everyone you slept here anyway."

She jerked her head to face him; the shock in her eyes reflecting her fear that he wasn't joking.

"Relax, Lil." He stepped back toward the door. "He's not getting past me." They both knew he had no intention of going back to sleep as he closed the bedroom door behind him.

By the time the sun came up, Scotty had come to a single conclusion - that he should have gotten some sleep. The only noise he'd heard in the few hours Lilly slept, besides the cats prowling around, was when Lilly had gotten up only a moment after he'd left to open the bedroom door. He told himself it was just so the cats could get to her if they wanted, but part of him believed that she didn't want to have that barrier between them, that she wanted to be able to hear him in the next room.

He still held his gun in his hand, but he'd abandoned his post on the couch. He was leaning on the doorframe of his bedroom, watching Lilly sleep. He was taken by her beauty - she looked like an angel when she was sleeping and he couldn't tear his eyes off her. He hated himself for not stopping George earlier because he knew how violated Lilly must have felt knowing that he'd been in her house.

Although his own life hadn't been particularly easy by any stretch of the imagination, Scotty wanted nothing more than to ease the pain hidden behind Lilly's clear blue eyes. He'd had a hint of what she didn't want to reveal - her mention of being poor, her knowledge of social workers and the welfare system - but the biggest clue had come from George when he'd revealed Lilly's real secret - that she'd been the victim of a violent crime. She'd only been a child, but George's interest in her told him that she'd fought back. Little Lilly had the same spunk as grown up Lilly and the thought brought a smile to Scotty's face.

The memory of that day, however, burned the smile away. He remembered it so clearly, regardless of the six months that passed in between. He'd stood with Vera and Jeffries and Stillman and listened to Lilly's interview with George. He'd felt her pain, her humiliation, when George mentioned her history. Scotty had wanted to kill George right then - because he'd hurt her, because his interest in her was disturbing. But mostly it was because Scotty had an insuppressible desire to protect her from all the evil in the world. She worked in it every day, but that was different, that didn't touch her. He hated that she'd finally been touched by it. He wanted to make it better. He knew he had no right to feel protective of her; he knew she'd hate him if she found out. But he still wanted to keep her safe because no one else ever had.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even notice when Lilly's eyes opened.

"You planning on shooting me?"

"Huh?" He followed her eyes and realized she was staring at the gun clutched in his hand. He tucked it into the holster he'd never removed from the previous day.

"Maybe you just wanted me to get up so you could get dressed. But really, you don't need to resort to violence." She sat up and stretched her arms out over her head; her slow, relaxed movements belying the tense situation.

"Yeah, I, uh, I'm going to take a shower." He had no excuse for why he'd been watching her; he could only be thankful that she hadn't called him on it.

She stood up and cross the room to where the cats were still sleeping. She bit her lips as she looked back at Scotty. "I'm really sorry about this."

"About what?" His mind searched for what she could be sorry about; the cats had been model guests as far as he was concerned. She was shoeing them away from the spot they'd curled up on - one of his black suit coats. He watched as she brushed her hand across the fabric, sending fur flying in every direction. She looked truly apologetic and he felt bad that she even thought he'd be mad. "Don't worry about it. It'll come out at the cleaners."

She grimaced. "Not necessarily. I'll buy you a new one if it doesn't."

"You're not buying me a whole new suit. If it doesn't come out, then I've learned an important lesson about hanging up my clothes."

"But you looked so nice in this one."

He smiled at her words - she probably hadn't meant to say them. He was glad she'd noticed because it was one of his favorites and he'd always thought he looked good in it. "I look nice in all my suits, don't I?"

"That's true." She blushed and dropped the jacket back on the floor before she turned it back on him. "I bet you'd look good in anything, Scotty."

He didn't have a comeback ready. He hadn't been expecting her to flirt with him like that. He stepped past her and picked a suit out of the closet. "I'm taking the first shower cause I think you'll use up all the hot water. I know about you girls and your long showers."

"I don't think I'm going to bother with a shower. Somehow looking disheveled when you're clean seems more pathetic than when you're dirty." She looked down and picked at the hem of her oversized sweatshirt self-consciously.

He blamed it on the lack of sleep when he approached her, dropping a kiss on the top of her head before she had a chance to look up at him. "I think you look adorable."

Her eyes met his and he could almost see the myriad of emotions dancing across them. One side of her mouth crept up in a wry smile. "Let's just hope Stillman feels the same way."

He shrugged. "Or not." He didn't want to think of anyone else feeling the same way about her. He knew it was odd that he wanted it to be exclusive; he wanted to be the only one to protect her. He decided it was because he didn't trust anyone else to do it right.

"Yeah, maybe not." Her eyes darted to his lips for a moment. "I think it might be a little awkward if he kissed me." Scotty grinned on his way into the bathroom - to him, her comment meant that his kiss hadn't been awkward.

The conversation returned to their normal level of banter after he showered. Scotty actually enjoyed getting ready for work with her there - especially when he was shaving and she popped her head in the bathroom to ask if she could borrow his toothbrush. He nodded and went back to shaving, making room for her to join him in front of the sink. While she brushed, Scotty said a silent prayer that she never peek in his medicine cabinet and discover the spare toothbrush he kept for mornings when a woman spent the night. He liked the idea of her using his, but he quickly ignored the thought. He was glad for the relaxed mood, for the calm that seemed to exist between them. After not getting any sleep, he wasn't really in any shape to deal with stress.

But the calm didn't last long. They'd already decided to talk to Stillman first thing and Scotty had already decided he was going to insist that Lilly be placed in protective custody, although he kept that to himself. The lieutenant hadn't arrived yet when they walked in; in fact, there were only a few cops in the building at that early hour.

Scotty saw the box first and unconsciously reached for Lilly's arm, wanting to keep her from seeing it. Under normal circumstances, he would have had a good time teasing her for the long box with the beautiful box that only came from florists. It wasn't normal circumstances, though, and he had to watch in horror as Lilly slowly lifted the lid.

She was scared; he could tell by the way she held his eyes as she opened it. Her chin trembled when she looked down, taking in the dozen dead roses inside.

It was the card that finally made the tears fall - it simply read "See you soon, my dear."


End file.
